


Breg y Ddraig (Dragon's Brew)

by Writerwithagoal



Category: The Vampire Diaries & Related Fandoms, The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Dragon!Caroline, F/M, enjoy, she owns a cafe, she's also is avoiding Klaus Mikaelson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 22:48:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,804
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16921887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerwithagoal/pseuds/Writerwithagoal
Summary: Caroline Catha-Forbes as the villagers of Rhaeadr Mystic know her has been a fixture of the village for longer than most people can remember. Something ethereal about her makes them think she's one of the fair folk who've decided to stay among the mortals. Others think it's a family trick and that every generation has a new Caroline. Either way there is something off about the woman who owns Breg y Ddraig.





	Breg y Ddraig (Dragon's Brew)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LynyrdLionheart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LynyrdLionheart/gifts).



> So Lenna bless her has been one of the most patient people I know while I wrote this. She won a NHL writing bet, we had on if the Jets could beat the Leafs LAST SEASON. Clearly my team let me down, it's okay as a woman I'm used to that. So she asked for dragons, cafes, and soulmates. So this spawned. It's a story. I hope you love this Lenna and everyone else.

“You’re late,” Enzo's voice came from the front counter. As she slipped in through the back door of her cafe, Caroline was filled with a renewed sense of annoyance at the handsome drake managing her front counter. Currently he was starting the coffee carafes and cleaning the espresso machine, but it’s not like she paid the fucker to work here. Couldn’t he have decided today of all days to not show up? He did that often enough every other time of year.

“No, I wasn’t. I was delaying in opening my establishment, which as owner and sole employee, I can legally do,” she snapped, pulling her long blonde curls up into a messy bun and grabbing her apron before she slipped around the door frame into the front of her cafe. Glaring at her half-brother, she took over the coffee and espresso machine so he could count the drawer. Money wasn’t really an issue but a coffee shop that gave everything away for free would be weird.

Where others of her species were solitary and territorial, choosing to live far away from civilizations and others of their kind, Caroline had always found herself being different, a trait not encouraged by her litter mates. Her desire for order and for helping others had earned her scorn from the others and had made her an easy target when she’d been younger. Now, she liked   
the challenge. She’d spent an epoch or two running from others of her kind, but Enzo was the exception.

“You’ve opened on time for two centuries, and that’s including the year that the pixies got unleashed through the village and almost destroyed the building every other day,” Enzo said as he continued to count the cash register. “What could have possibly been so important that you are an hour late to opening your favorite place in the world?”

“If you must know, you insensitive ass, I was dealing with Kat,” she said, though her tone was as flat as the excuse. Her favorite unseelie sidhe, while known for calling at all hours of the day to complain about everything and anything from her job as a solicitor in London or her husband of three hundred years, did not call in the morning.

“Right, so why oh Danu’s great tit, would Kat call you when she was with Elijah Mik-” Enzo broke off as Caroline’s hand slammed into his face clamping over his mouth.

“Do not say that name here,” she snarled, her crystalline blue eyes flashing bronze momentarily. If anyone had been in the cafe, they might have seen the wisps of hair loose from the bun swirl in an invisible wind.  While Enzo knew Caroline’s heritage completely, it was still a secret to others. She’d made this village her home for two centuries and she had no desire to relocate because Enzo slipped up.

“Right sorry, my bad.” Enzo’s head slipped from her grasp as he rubbed his jaw and felt his own eyes revert to their natural serpentine gold and green. Shaking his form back into place, he felt his eyes shift back and groaned. “I get that you’re one of the big bad ones, Care,” he said, “but could you maybe take it easy on that anger?”

“I’m not one of the big bad ones you idiot, I’m the good one.” She buried her face against his chest as she hugged him tight. “I am sorry about allowing my anger to tug at my magick. That’s my bad,” she said softly kissing his cheek. Caroline prided herself on her control and the ability to mask her presence from suspecting eyes. Slipping up tended to have a bit of a ripple effect on glamours and secondary forms around her.  

“Yea it is, you call yourself an adult with that control,” he said, making a face as she pulled away from him. Caroline laughed again before straightening his shirt. Enzo stepped away from her and pushed a hand through his hair. Glancing past her, he looked out the front window where people were starting to gather to peer into the dark cafe.

“If you think you can handle the morning rush I might slip out,” Enzo said softly, stepping back towards the kitchen door. Caroline flipped the closed sign around and unlocked the door with a flick of her wrist while he flipped the light switch.

Caroline turned to look back at Enzo with a smile. Enzo was almost three centuries her senior, except in his humanoid form he looked only five years older. He also acted more like a mother hen than a best friend, which Caroline appreciated especially as she had very little in the ways of family or friends.

“There isn’t a rush here that I can’t handle,” she called out as the bell above the door gave out a pleasant jingle as her usual customers approached and started placing their orders. The soft click of the back door closing was the only response that she received, and soon she allowed herself to fall into the normal rhythm of her day which was a much needed respite after a late morning.

Three hours passed with a gentle, busy hum as tourists who came to hike in the nearby National Park intermingled with townsfolk. Caroline was drying mugs at the counter as she watched over the patrons in her cafe, fae and human alike. Glancing around she noticed that she was almost out of iced tea and her water pitcher was low. Placing the mug on the shelf, she slipped around to refill the water pitcher and replenish the iced tea. If someone had told her a millennia or two ago that she would own and love a small coffee shop in a tiny village in Wales, she would have eaten them.  
Still, after she went around the rooms dealing with minor issues, she found herself placating a group of angry Red Caps who were sizing up to eat a table of tourists they’d followed down from the mountains. Apparently one of the tourists had stolen the Cap off one of their kids, thinking it was trash left behind by some terrible tourist. Explaining it away as a child’s toy who had gone back for it, she stole it back.

Walking through the back door where the group was waiting, she handed it back to the father Red Cap. She sliced her hand open allowing her blood to soak into the cap giving it a slightly darker colour. Gasps went through the contingent of Red Caps as the magic from her blood swept through them. Smiling down at them, she pulled a bag of raw venison out from the counter and handed it to them. Shooing them away back to their forest homes, she stood up and closed her back door. 

“Customers aren’t allowed back here,” she said, not turning from her spot at the back door. A dark powerful creature was standing behind her. 

“Well darling, seeing as I’m not here for the baked goods, that exempts me from the rules,” came the posh british accent, one she’d hoped not to hear ever again. 

Caroline spun round teeth bared. Standing in her kitchen was none other than Kol  freaking Mikaelson. 

“Now now darlin’ is that anyway to treat an old friend?” Kol said with a smile. He wasn’t phased at all by her fangs or claws. 

“Considering I told you the last time I saw you, that if you ever stepped foot in my territory again I would wipe you and your line from existence, no,” Caroline replied, her ire growing as Kol looked around her kitchen with contempt. 

“But then, you’d finally be on my brothers radar and considering he’s the reason you’ve been using an old fae cloaking spell for five centu--” Kol cut off as he found his voice-box outside of his throat. Gargling he glared at her. 

“Are you here for a reason?” she asked, her hand coated in his blood dropping the offending piece of throat into the bin. 

Kol just gestured towards his mangled throat before collapsing dead on her kitchen floor. Caroline cursed her temper before she teleported him up to the apartment above her cafe. Then she magicked away the mess on herself and the kitchen floor. Once he was safely tucked away in the apartment, she went about her business. 

It was still nice enough weather that hikers were still adamant about climbing  _ Yr Wyddfa  _ mountain in the Snowdonia National Park, around  Rhaeadr Mystic. She was grateful for them, since they kept her cafe full, more than just the regulars. Smiling at a gnome family who were busying themselves at the counter, she bent down behind the sweets cabinet to smile at the youngest and ask what they were thinking of getting. With their drinks and sweets procured, she cast a series of sparklers through the air. The little gnome girl giggled and chased after them. The parents looking at her indulgently. 

Caroline liked her life here. 

The blend of magick and mortal knowledge in her cafe was vast as she refused to hide her magick just because the mortals might spook. Most wrote it off as staged gimmicks for the kids while others asked her if she was a fairy or a witch. Caroline would just smile and shrug their questions off. It made her somewhat of a tourist attraction in the small town, and filled the town with much needed tourism commerce. Still, no one was quite sure what to make of the beautiful blonde woman who ran the local cafe. None of the stories had been outlandish enough to call attention to her from any significant party.  

As the day progressed, and she dealt with customers of multiple origins, both magical and mortal, she allowed herself to forget about the trespasser asleep in the apartment upstairs. Soon, it was almost dark and Caroline was getting ready to close. As the last guest stood up and wished her a pleasant evening, she locked the door behind them. Her  wards started to tug on her magick and after a cursory glance around the empty cafe she reengaged her wards and spells to keep out thieves or mischief-makers. Walking up the stairs to the apartment above, she grinned at the sight of Kol angrily pouring her whisky into a glass. 

“I’m not your pet, poppet, I’m an Original and you won’t keep me here,” he snarled, at her as she closed the door behind her. 

“Oh boo-hoo I’m an Original, my mom made me into the most powerful vampire in existence wa-wa-wa,” Caroline parroted back at him. He growled and stalked towards her. She flashed behind him, popping the cork back into the bottle of her favorite whisky. “Do settle Kol, I’m tired of your bullshit.”

“Well you’re a shitty host,” he sneered, crossing his arms and grabbing his glass off her island. 

“A host is someone who plans on having guests, you’re a trespasser. And considering I normally eat those, I’d say you’re faring quite well,” she sniffed, checking her nails and ignoring his sputtering. “How’d you find me?” 

“I got Kat sauced. I knew you wouldn’t disappear without letting Kat know how to find you,” Kol admitted, losing most of his bluster and bravado. 

Caroline shook her head and laughed at Kol’s ingenious methods of detective work. He wasn’t wrong, if there was one person she’d clue in on her whereabouts within that family it was her best friend Katherine Pierce. They’d known each other long before the Mikaelsons came into the picture and they’d still be friends after the world imploded. 

“Right but why did you want to find me?” she pressed, leaning back against the counter bracing herself on her arms. 

“It’s Rebekah. It seems she’s rather taken with a certain male drake who has Nik’s hackles raised,” Kol said, tapping the lip of his whisky as he looks at Caroline. 

“And I should care because?” Caroline asks, not blinking or cringing as he looks at her expectantly. 

“Because I remember him being your date on several occasions to parties back in the 1500s while my family and I were entertaining ourselves with the Tudor Courts,” Kol supplied, which had Caroline wincing. “If I remember, so does my brother.” 

Caroline’s hair started to float around her as she looked at Kol Mikaelson before quickly gaining control over her magick. She glared at Kol and crossed her arms and shrugging. “So?”

“You took something from him and he’s spent the last five centuries looking for you,” Kol said, looking less than impressed at her unconvincing bluff. “Someone will slip up sooner or later dove, and then he’ll come ‘round knocking.”

“I took something away from an egomaniac with a god-complex. He’s probably already forgotten about it. If he hasn’t, well—then he’ll have to kill me, because as everyone knows a Dragon’s grasp is forever,” Caroline said, shrugging. She wasn’t going to be backed into a corner by Niklaus Mikaelson or his siblings. “Plus he kept leaving a string of bodies behind. Do you know how tedious that is to clean up?”

Kol started laughing and almost doubled over. Carolina O’ Catha or Caroline Forbes, as she was known in  Rhaeadr Mystic, felt so inconvenienced by his brother so she’d taken to hiding behind magick and spells. Instead of just crushing him under her heel. Maybe his brothers infatuation wasn’t purely one sided. 

“Can I leave?” he asked, batting his eyes in faux innocence, placing his now empty glass on the kitchen island. 

“Nope, you’re stuck here,” she hummed, grinning like the cat-dragon-whatever, who’d caught the impertinent Original. 

“Darlin’ I just came to warn ya, don’t make me get mean,” Kol snarled, his face transforming, his angelic face reflecting the monster underneath. Caroline yawned and raised an eyebrow in answer. When he launched himself at her, he found himself hitting the counter, Caroline across the room. 

“Come now Kol, if age gives power, I’ve eaten millenia older than you,” she chortled, buffing her nails on her shirt. When he shattered the marble countertop she balked. “Right no more of that.” 

Raising her arms, her eyes glowing bronze, and her hair floating on a nonexistent wind she spun him around so he was facing her and then snapped. He was gone. She’d sent him back home without a clue how he’d gotten there or where he’d been. While no memory spell was fool proof it would buy her time. Groaning she pulled her phone out and sent Kat a very angry text. How dare Katherine spill her secrets while drunk. Though she had only spoiled the cafe not her lair. 

After a day expending more magick than she normally did in a month, Caroline didn’t have the energy to fly home and she didn’t trust she’d be able to get away smoothly with Kol poking around, since more Mikaelson’s were sure to follow. Forming the portal, she stepped into her warm dry sandstone cave and breathed a sigh of relief. Tired and drained, she felt herself wanting to shift back to her natural form. Moving out of the humanoid living space, she moved deeper into the caverns of her home. Once she was near her treasure, she allowed herself to shift. 

She hoarded innocents and territory like her brethren hoarded gems or gold.That didn’t mean she was looking for someone or something to force her hand. She was a goddamn dragon and they were solitary by nature. Princesses and Princes be damned, she’d worked too hard building a world that fit her perfectly to give up parts of herself to a man  monster . She’d protected Wales as a nation from the worst of the supernatural and fae creatures for years. Her hands were full, she didn’t need to deal with a monster like him who was still cutting his teeth on a millenia.  

_ A creature like him. _ Nope she was good. Caroline would admit that she dreamed about him time and time again over the last five centuries; he had been an impeccable dancer. His hands had held her as though he viewed her as fragile. Something no one had ever done with her. Still, his monster was barely under the surface, bubbling up at the slightest inconvenience. Caroline hoarded life, protecting and ensuring that her little corner of the world was alright. He destroyed. Shaking her head and pushing thoughts of the hybrid from her mind, she finally stopped at the foot of her gold pile.

Wings and scales engulfed her in a gust of wind. As the breeze settled and dissipated she shook her large wings out and slowly climbed up onto a ledge where she could wrap her tail around herself and sleep. Blowing a puff of smoke out her nose she humphed, and settled down, her claws gouging stone underneath her. Caroline would deal with the Mikaelson’s tomorrow. Sleep came easy for her, eyes sliding closed as she curled in on herself, red and gold scales glittering in the lamp light below. 

 

Enzo wasn’t amused by the flexing the Mikaelsons did around him. Elijah always fussing his shirt cuffs, drinking wine and glaring. Klaus smashing and throwing things at him when they were alone in a room. Rebekah though made it worth it. Smiling he pulled the blonde bombshell closer and nuzzled her neck. It was amazing the strange way fate worked. He’d felt drawn to her for centuries and then ached when he couldn’t feel her presence in the world, but her line was alive and thriving. So she hadn’t been dead. Still he hadn’t looked as hard as maybe he should have.

It had taken longer than he would admit for him to find her again. Even that hadn’t gone how he’d have liked. It had been in a little alley off of Piccadilly Square where he happened to find her gorging on the blood of a young man. The knife at the blokes feet made it clear it was a robbery gone horribly wrong. She’d looked amazing her face and neck dripping with blood as the dead man standing, stared off into space, no longer present to the world. 

He’d been gobsmacked and found himself flashing over to lick the cooling blood from her lips before kissing her deeply. She’d been just as shocked and a little angry, that the drake who’d toyed with her heart promising all sorts of things; was back. He’d promised to shower her with the greatest riches of the known world but like all the other suitors in her life had disappeared. Rebekah had tried to blame Elijah, Klaus, and Kol for scaring him away but they’d all pled innocence. Then Nik had daggered her, and still the drake had never found her. So she threw him across the alley and flashed away. Now was her turn to disappear.

Enzo was persistent though, and a brilliant tracker. While he found her quickly, he decided to give her space and time. He kept his distance feeling vaguely like a stalker as he watched Rebekah acclimate herself to modern times. She’d excelled, though that didn’t shock him. Grinning, he enjoyed watching her order humans and supernaturals around like no one else could. She had the regality and airs to make the Queens of Old jealous. Still he’d allowed her space before he started to send her things that he’d collected over the years that he thought she’d enjoy. 

The deed to a horse farm in the south of France. A thriving vineyard in Tuscany and the small village that went with it. A gold mine in Indonesia under a shell company. Multiple pieces of jewelry with stones ranging from Emeralds, Opals,Rubies, and more rare stones like   Grandidierite and Red Diamonds. He’d stolen,demanded, and purchased most of the pieces from cowering individuals who’d feared his wrath and mistook him for a warlord, demigod, or just a human to be feared. 

He was a drake after all, his horde was vast, extensive, and expensive. Still he was current with shares in multiple fortune five hundred companies and more traditional stock options. Unlike his more aggressive cousins and distant relations who were prone to hoarding things that time had long forgotten, Enzo liked to stay current and amass as much wealth as possible. Caroline laughed at his habits but didn’t begrudge him. She had her own peculiarities after all. 

Still it had only cost him 1.5 million in courting gifts, to get her to agree to a date. Then well she’d enjoyed a fair amount of time having him grovel. Still she was the one who pulled the strings. Enzo would wait a millenia if that was the amount of time she said she needed. Rebekah Mikaelson was an absolutely phenomenal tactician and strategist. She knew just how to push and pull to get her way. It was no surprise Lorenzo St. John was under her spell so completely. 

When he looked at Rebekah he was rendered speechless and couldn’t get enough. Sighing happily into her hair, he relaxed slightly more. Rebekah felt lighter every time he held her. As though she was enjoying his company just as much as he was enjoying hers. He idled there enjoying her presence while eavesdropping on the conversation going on around them.

“Kol did you find what you were off looking for?” Katherine asked, from her perch on Elijah across the room.

“What I was looking for?” Kol said, his face screwing up confusedly as he looked at his sister-in-law. 

“You went off this morning looking for someone,” Katherine pressed, leaning closer looking particularly gleeful. 

“I’m not sure, I can’t remember much from the last few days...” he trailed off looking from Katherine to Lorenzo, muttering sweet nothings in Rebekah’s ear. 

“Oh dear, it seems like someone’s been hit by a rather powerful memory spell,” Katherine chuckled, her eyes sparkling full of evil intent and joy in Kol’s confusion. 

“Nonsense, just a bloodbender, nothing as outlandish as a memory spell,” Kol sputtered, trying to remember now. He’d know if someone else’s magick had affected him-wouldn’t he. 

“Then why haven’t we had any reports of murders or death?” Kat pushed, running her fingers idly through Elijah's hair leaning against her husband. 

“I-I-Caroline! That witch!” Kol shouted, tugging at his hair as Kat’s pushing ripped through the spell she’d casted. 

Klaus’ eyes shot up from his sketchbook and flashed over to his brother. Slamming the groaning Kol into the wall his eyes golden, he snarled. “Where did you find the dragon, brother.”

“Christ Nik, if you wanted to get laid why didn’t you search Wales, she’s on the frigging flag,” Kol said, rubbing his neck as Klaus glared at him. 

“Why don’t you ask her freaking brother, or best friend,” he added, gesturing first to Enzo and then to Katherine. 

Klaus snarled and spun away from Kol breaking his neck in the process, it would teach the fucker some manners. Looking to where Enzo and Rebekah had been sitting moments ago he only saw empty couch. Growling, he turned to find his older brother and his SIL also gone. Punching the wall where Kol’s head had just been he flashed off to find the red dragon who’d stolen an artifact from him three centuries ago. She wouldn’t elude him any more. 

 

Wales has multiple myths and legends of dragons protecting the nation, and  _ that _ was mostly Caroline’s fault. Though not _ solely _ to blame, most of it could be laid at her feet. The other six percent fell on Enzo and Imra.  _ Maybe _ , if she hadn’t murdered her cousin Imra around 11,500 BCE to protect mortal and fae alike in broad daylight, she could have avoided her image being used on the Welsh flag, or becoming the symbol of St George. The gent had some nerve.

Her red and gold scales shined like fire against the sky as she fought with her older cousin. Imra had been the whitest of white dragons, her scales glinting rainbows down as the sunbeams hit her. Imra had taken advantage of the northern hemisphere being enveloped in the ice age, using it to expand her territory. When she’d tried to take Caroline’s islands from her though, Caroline had objected strongly. In the end, Imra had paid for her greed with her life. Caroline stood up from her perch the memories of that battle flooding her mind. 

Shaking her great head, she snorted and huffed a string of smoke from her snout. Taking off from her perch, she flew into the air, her wings carrying higher and higher. Soaring and gliding through the air was her greatest form of stress relief. Gliding around she took pleasure in spooking geese, crows, and gulls. Watching the sun rise in the east she allowed her stress to evaporate. Blowing a long stream of fire into the air, she turned and flew homewards. 

Coasting to a hover over the beach on her secluded island home, she transformed back into her humanoid form, landing as the wind dissipated. Wrapping her hair into a bun she walked naked up to the patio of her lair. Enjoying the feeling of magick and sea air mingling on her skin. While she could have transformed and been wearing the clothes from yesterday, there was just something dirty about it that bothered her. Still, on a deserted island where no one would find her; she reveled in her nudity. 

Walking up to the sand dunes into her lair proper, she sighed as the heated stone under her feet warmed her. As a dragon, and a red dragon at that, she tended to run rather hot. Walking through the sandstone cave system to the area that she’d sorted out into a rather nice beach front home. She’d blasted out a side of the mountain, just a tiny portion to make a lagoon right off of her kitchen. Walking over to the counter she poured a cup of coffee and continued into her closet. 

She spent so much time in her bipedal form due to wanting to interact with the modern world, but she couldn’t sleep in it. Caroline couldn’t relax enough in her human form to get a good night sleep. Threats she had in abundance and some days it was pride and a sense of invincibility that made her think that her island was impregnable. Life, though had taught her different. Danger would find her no matter how prepared she was. That didn’t mean she had to let her guard down and sleep in her weaker form.

Still her ‘bedroom’ was more of a vast closet, filled with clothes, shoes, accessories, and jewelry ranging from 20,000 years ago to yesterday. Wondering over to the bottoms section, she chose form fitting leather leggings and a nice loose cobalt tunic and her favorite black cardigan. Grabbing a pair of flat booties, coupled with her gold and bronze dragon ear cuffs and ruby earrings. 

 

“Caroline, Oh Great Mother of Dragons!” Kat called out as she moved through the illusion of a rock face into a warm sandstone cave. She had always imagined a dragon’s lair to be damp and wet, especially when one appeared to be nestled on what appeared to be a barren hunk of rocks west of Wales. Katherine was fairly certain, though, that the island wasn’t actually in the North Atlantic since the waters were always warm and the island was distinctly different behind the illusion of the barren rocks and birds. But whenever she tried to tell where it was in reality her head hurt. 

Walking through the cave, she followed the soft humming of her oldest  only friend. Caroline and Katherine were only a few millennia apart in age. Though Katherine would be lying if she said she was certain of Caroline’s age. Unlike herself, Caroline was of a tiny number of true demigods, having been birthed directly of the old gods. Katherine was lucky that Caroline trusted her with a drop of her blood as Caroline was the most untrusting, yet kindest, soul Katherine had ever known.

Rounding the bend she laughed as she saw her best friend pulling her leggings up over her ass. Caroline was bouncing up and down like they were just a tad tight. “You going to make it MOD?” 

“You backstabbing bitch,” Caroline growled, tackling Kat into the wall of the cave and shaking her slightly. 

“Hey! Hey! I’m not the one that slept with the Hybrid, and then realized that I was falling for a domineering, sexy, monster,” Kat snapped, blinking out of Caroline’s hold and unfurling her wings to fly above her friend who was angrier than the text had led her to believe. 

“Kol fucking showed up at my cafe Katherine! And you’re mocking me about my past dalliances?” Caroline hissed, smoke curling from her nose. Shaking her head she shot a ball of fire at her best friend, letting her anger out in the ball of flames. Kat shrieked and dove as the ball sailed over head. 

“Considering you’ve been walking among mortals for the last two centuries and you’re still referring to brief sexual relationships as dalliances, yes, I’m mocking you,” Kat said as she hurled a bolt of dark magick at her best friend. “Oh that’s right you haven’t gotten any since Klaus have you?”

“Katherine, I’m warning you. Unless you want to see what the inside of a dragon’s stomach looks like, you’ll shut the fuck up,” Caroline hissed, scales rippling up her arms, and her eyes two embers waiting for the spark to come to life. 

Katherine paused and dropped to the warm stone floor and looked at her friend, noticing for the first time tears in the blondes eyes. Caroline had always been so closed off about the time she’d spent with Klaus it had never occured to the fae that her friend might have actually held feelings for him. “Care, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told Kol, but if you sincerely don’t want to see Klaus...” she trailed off rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly. “Maybe don’t go to work this week.”

“Katherine what did KOL DO?” Caroline thundered, smoke rolling off of her eyes flashing and for a second the island itself seemed to tremble. 

“He may have told Klaus that for someone who was so adamant on finding the dragon who stole something irreplaceable from him, he seemed to have avoided Wales pretty hard,” Kat admitted, taking steps closer to her friend, reaching out and waving the smoke trails off. 

“So my almost two hundred years of living in peace are gone?” she whispered, wiping at her eyes before snorting. “Irreplaceable? You aren’t serious?” 

“That’s what he says and he’s locked his art studios off from all of his siblings,” Kat said, rubbing Carolines arms before giggling herself. “Not that I don’t love the full frontal look, but maybe you want to wear clothes to the cafe today?” 

Caroline glanced down and laughed, her chest and arms were covered in patches of scales but her nipples and mid-drift weren’t hidden at all. Taking a deep breath she pulled her magick in and let out a breath of smoke, her form returning to human, not a scale in sight. 

“Want to see what I stole from him?” she asked, grabbing her bra and tunic, pulling them on before walking through the cave sequence to her actual lair. As they entered the largest cavern in the sequence. Kat’s eyes lit up with glee at the piles of gold, gems, jewelry, weapons, and magick emanating from locked chests. 

“You keep sending me ambrosia baked goods, and you have The Huntsman's Call?” Kat asked, her eyes wide as she reached for the curved horn, only to be swatted away by Caroline. 

“I am a Dragon. Katherine, I can’t give you the things that I have been asked to guard.” 

Caroline smiled and walked to the back of the cave where leaning against the wall was a painting, wrapped in linan. Pulling the linan away she stepped back so Katherine could see the ornate and intricate portrait of well, Caroline. 

“You stole a painting of yourself?” Katherine asked, looking from the painting of Caroline dressed in early 16th century garb. Katherine walked closer looking at the rich blue hues, and the delicate strokes. “Wait he painted you?” 

“The night of Margaret Tudor’s wedding. That’s the dress I wore, she was such a kind woman. It was nice of her to think I wanted to be there,” Caroline spoke, as she leaned against the cave wall looking at her past self and remembering the night. 

_ She’d received an invitation from Margaret Tudor who had always been a sweet girl. Lorenzo had insisted that they attend, looking at the invitation as a way to get her out of her funk. She’d had chosen the cobalt gold dress because it made her hair and eyes pop. The neckline and the fashion of the period was rather more restrictive than she preferred. _

_ All in all she’d found a talented and brilliant dressmaker who had listened to her request and then spun her gown into something beautiful. When she’d been announced as  Lady and Lord Caroline Catha of Wales, which amused her greatly. Her mother was a goddess forever trapped behind a veil not able to talk to her or visit. Her home existed outside or reality, still she guessed mortals had to place her somehow. Most believed Lorenzo to be her husband, when in reality they were siblings. Her name had been a joke on the fact that she was the sole heir to Babd Catha, while Enzo was her half-brother, and unclaimed. _

_ She had enjoyed the way the candle light had flickered off of the crystal chandeliers  that lined the room _ .  _ Lorenzo had never been much of a dancer so she had stood to the side gazing longingly at the ballroom floor, as dancers spun and crossed filling the floor. She had just finally thought of something to entice Enzo to dance with her just one round of the Allemande, when a handsome blonde man offered her his hand.  _

_ He had oozed danger, a predator through and through as they danced, the room blurring around them. Her own magick sparked off of his and she found herself intrigued by the being in front of her. As they crossed and spun his eyes never strayed from her, even when they traded partners for brief moments.  _

_ Neither spoke a word the entire dance, and then it had been over. He had bowed and grazed his lips over her knuckles before disappearing into the crowd. She hadn’t been able to place him, from her days at court before Margaret had given her a token to hide forever away. The proof that her last living brother was a bastard. She feared it would cause too much social upheaval after hearing stories of the War of the Roses and all that led to her father becoming King. So Caroline had taken the proof back to her lair and then refused to attend court. That gentleman hadn’t been at court then.  _

_ The ensuing eight weeks would be a whirlwind. Klaus and her dancing, taking rides through the countryside together, and dining together. They’d been forced into close proximity because Enzo had fallen for Niklaus’ younger sister.  _

 

“Earth to Caroline, how did you get this? Why did he paint it?” Kat asked, raising an eyebrow looking at her best friend. That had been about the time that she’d been mistaken for one of the Petrova doppelgangers by Klaus and the rest of the Mikaelsons. All because she may have spawned the line. Didn’t mean her unseelie blood would work for the spell. 

“Enzo and Rebekah met the night of Margaret Tudor’s wedding TO James the Fourth of Scotland. We were thrown together for a whirlwind eight weeks. It was nice to see Enzo so happy. Then everything with you happened and-,” she broke off, “I found this the day after outing you to the Mikaelsons and also giving them a different line of doppelgangers to hunt. I figured it would be a nice momento, also he has an amazing talent for getting my eyes the exact color.”

Katherine found herself nodding and then balked as Caroline finished talking. “You’re joking. He’s been going off about you stealing something irreplaceable, and you took this?” 

“Oh, and a lovely bracelet that just tickled my dragon nature,” Caroline joked, holding up her wrist which was wearing a beautiful diamond bracelet. Katherine made grabby hands which had Caroline skipping out of reach laughter following her. 

“You know you didn’t have to break it off. Whatever that thing was just because he tried to kill me,” Kat said sobering and looking again at the painting, Caroline’s demeanor in it was brilliant, her brother-in-law had captured the vision which was Caroline perfectly. 

“He’s so young Kat, like infant young, though maybe toddler now. He’s also so angry, he destroys anything that disagrees or makes him feel inferior,” Caroline said, shrugging and walking out of her lair leaving Kat to follow. When Caroline was almost out of sight Kat went to snag the horn only to hear Caroline call for her. “Pierce leave it.” 

Catching up to her shooting her best friend a dirty look she looked around for the mead that her friend always kept on hand. Pouring a cup she turned and handed Caroline the other one. Before taking a stab at unpacking all of that.  “Maybe you can reform him. Maybe he’s mellowed out in the last two centuries.”

“But I don’t want to reform him, I have a life. I don’t need someone that mad, or-or destructive. I deserve someone won’t grow to resent me when he realizes that I’m more powerful. Or that I’m not ever going to bend to his will if I think he’s wrong,” Caroline snapped, sipping her cup of mead looking at the brunette. 

“Maybe your assessment of Klaus is outdated, maybe he wouldn’t need you to change,” Kat replied, looking at her best friend eyebrow raised. “I’m the last one to be on team Klaus you know I loathe the pompous git. But-and hear me when I say this, he has never, not once ever cursed you, broken anything because he couldn’t find you. He just shrugged and said he’d get you next time. Does that sound like someone who was unable to change?”

“Katherine, I like my life. I don’t want to change it or have to worry that a thousand year old halfbreed is going to throw a temper tantrum and destroy my village, my horde, or my peace.” Caroline sighed, looking at Katherine begging with her eyes for her friend to get it. She was finally enjoying life again. She wasn’t battling supernaturals weekly and she was able to relax and vaguely keep her guard up about threats. 

“Right, well don’t you have a cafe to open?” Kat said, after a moment's hesitation. Caroline was dug in and when she felt forced or pushed to far she was even more stubborn and a 1.3 million year old dragon had plenty of stubbornness to draw from. 

“Yes I do,” Caroline groaned, and grabbed her cardigan before opening a portal into the cafe’s kitchen and waving Katherine through first and stepping through after her. Bless magick, and a home outside of the confines of reality and time on the Mortal Plane. It was just ten to five in the morning now, and she had an hour to set the cafe to rights. “I love you Kitty-Kat, you should go spend time with your husband.”

“I think I’m going to hang around, see if there are any beings here I can get into mischief with, this is the first time I’ve actually looked around Rhaeadr.” Kat grinned before taking off to explore the town. Caroline chuckled and pulled her hair up. It was time to get ready for an interesting day. 

  
  


Enzo and Rebekah took a car from the family manor to a small town in the south of England. From there they traded in the vintage car for a more lowkey vehicle, and got back on the road to  Rhaeadr Mystic, in the north of Wales. While it was only about three hours of travel, Enzo was vibrating. He wanted to just portal back to the cafe, but Rebekah had made the compelling argument that magick could be traced by any number of the witches on Klaus’ payroll. So he’d bought a mini-cooper, black and spent the rest of the money in cash. He’d like to see Klaus find him now. 

Rebekah glanced over at the drake who was bobbing and weaving through traffic as though the other cars on the road were standing still. If a officer of the law saw them, none made a move to stop them. She was rather annoyed considering she hadn’t had a chance to compel herself a snack for the road as Enzo had raced from the house, the minute Kol spilled his knowledge of his sister. 

“She’s a full blooded dragon, Lorenzo, she’ll be fine,” Bekah said, her brow furrowed as she watched him. They’d only been back together a short while. 

“Who won’t fight back if he throws a tantrum in her cafe. She’ll watch him ruin the cafe she has spent the last two and a half centuries building and cultivating. Caroline has a soft spot I’ve never understood for your brother,” Enzo bit out, his jaw clenched. When Rebekah ran a hand over his shoulder he relaxed slightly, but didn’t slow. 

“I firmly believe that your baby sister can handle my big brother,” Bekah pressed, kneading his left shoulder. Klaus was an enigma when it concerned the Red Dragon of Wales. He hadn’t spent the last five centuries hunting her, and in fact had taken her advice and broken his curse with a random doppelganger not of the Petrova line. Still, he’d skulked and listened for any information about Caroline but never hunted her as he’d done to Katherine. 

“I hope so because I might murder him myself if he ruins her ability to stay in Rhaeadr Mystic,” Enzo grumbled, swerving to miss a minivan. 

“Then we’ll be quarrelling, and we’ve been getting on so well since I woke up,” Rebekah whispered, pressing a kiss under his ear. Her fang grazing his skin causing him to curse. 

“Bekah, luv. I adore you. You wouldn’t be trying to use my love for you to keep me from defending my sisters honor,” his tone was low. Bekah pulled away her face scrunched at being found out. 

“What if you torture him for a few centuries instead of murder?” she asked, posing the compromise and looking at him seriously. 

“If we beat him to Caroline, I just might consider it,” Enzo muttered, shooting down the exit for Snowdonia National Park. The roads narrowed off the motorway and he was forced to slow down, as the ability to wind around other motorists was almost nil. 

“He has an entire country to cover, unless he waits the time for Kol to wake up, we’ll beat him.” Rebekah sighed, leaning back in her seat watching the fields give into wood and mountains. She’d never visited Wales before, there was nothing really there that she wanted to see. 

The last time she’d seen Caroline was at the wedding for King Henry the Seventh's daughter Margaret. She’d had a commanding but kind presence. Taking time to walk among the peasants, always sharing her wealth and not worrying of what kind attention that drew her. Never caring what others thought of her. She had been an inspiration to Rebekah on what immortality could be like. She’d also seen Caroline commit murder without blinking, she’d ripped through a coven of witches for trying to summon the wrong deity. 

“I can’t wait to meet her. This Caroline, the Caroline of the present,” Rebekah finally said looking at Lorenzo, her eyes going heart shaped as Lorenzo finally started to settle, he unclenched just a little and leaned back as he drove. 

“She always thought you were too good for me, and she was as usual right,” Enzo said, reaching out to hold her hand. 

“Sounds like we’re going to love each other,” Rebekah joked, flipping her hair as she leaned over the middle console to rest her head on his shoulder. Enzo kissed her forehead as they sped closer to Rhaeadr Mystic. 

 

“Okay Kol, you’re just milking it now,” Klaus grumbled, his fangs showing as he glared at his baby brother. 

“I have information that you want and you broke my neck. Do you know how annoying having your neck broken is?” Kol snapped, sipping his wine and ignoring his older brother. 

“I acted rashly and I’m-” Klaus shook his head, he wasn’t going to apologize. He’d done nothing wrong. 

“Come on Klaus you can do it,” Kol prompted, secretly recording the entire exchange gleefully. 

“I-” deep breath “am-” shake of the head “sorry-” Klaus crossed his arms glaring at his brother. “Happy.” 

“Delighted, Bekah’s going to have a cow that I actually got you to apologize,” Kol said, standing and stretching as he looked around the empty kitchen in the manor. 

“Caroline Forbes has been living in Rhaeadr Mystic for the last two and a half centuries as a cafe owner,” he finally said, looking at his brother gauging his reaction. 

“She’s been in the UK this entire time?” Klaus asked, blinking. 

“Well I’m not entirely sure she actually lives there but she spends every day at her cafe called Breg y Ddraig,” Kol replied, shrugging and pouring the wine into a large flask. 

“What are you doing Kol?”

“You think I’m going to miss this?”   
“Fine you can come, but I’m going to try and not spook the beast this time,” Klaus said, after a moment’s pause looking at his little brother who was enjoying his torment far too much. 

“I like how you thought you could tell me no,” Kol said, clapping his brother on the back walking towards the garage. 

“This is going to go very poorly.” Klaus grabbed his keys and jacket, he always kept a grab bag in the trunk of his porsche so he was ready to go. If he could just keep his wits, and his temper this might actually not go horribly wrong. 

He’d been so rash and arrogant in the 1400 through the 1700s, that he’d assumed that she would just fall for him. He was the Hybrid, one of the most powerful creatures in existence what wasn’t to like. He was also so used to always getting what he wanted, or forcing it that when she’d stolen his painting and a diamond bracelet, instead of being flattered by his attention to her and her interests he’d given into rage.  

He was almost three centuries older, and definitely wiser. Klaus could understand why a demigoddess, who was a pure dragon wouldn’t be interested in a barely twelve hundred year old hybrid. She had a life, and a duty, something that didn’t include or depend on him. Caroline Catha was as independent as one could get. Beholden to none but herself, and that if he was honest intimidated him. 

He had a three hour drive from the manor to the cafe if his google maps was correct, he would think of what to say to her when he got there. Now he just had to wrestle control of the radio from Kol. Maybe he’d snap his neck again. Prove he was still the big bad wolf. Either way he had to formulate a plan to woo a dragon who either had everything or could get it herself without batting an eyelash. Well no one ever said courtship was easy. 

 

“Hello Rebekah, you look lovely for carrying around a smarmy 300 pound reptile with you,” Caroline says, shooting Enzo a lazy grin. 

“Miss Forbes, ” Bekah laughed, shifting her gaze from the blonde standing at the counter, to Enzo standing at her side. He didn’t seem bothered by her teasing so hopefully wouldn’t mind her joining in. “Well he certainly is heavy.”

“Well you should see him when he’s not walking on two legs. Oh and Caroline please,” Caroline joked, blowing a heart of smoke towards Enzo as he flipped her off. 

“Well thankfully your mum seems to have house trained him,” Rebekah teased, leaning up to kiss Enzo’s cheek as he huffed crossing his arms. “I’m sorry luv, you’re my favorite dragon. Promise.”

Enzo rolled his eyes and walked over to the counter bracing himself against it. Looking at his best friend and youngest sister.  _ Living _ anyway. He sighed, and rubbed his face his anger simmering just under the surface and his eyes flickered from brown to a slit eye gold. 

“You should probably fly on home Care, the big bad wolfs on his way to blow down your house,” Lorenzo said, his voice low as he looked at Caroline. 

“I know he’s on his way,” Caroline said, continuing the cleaning and inventorying she was doing while Lorenzo sputtered and looked at his little sister. 

“You’re aware Niklaus Mikaelson is on his way and you’re just cleaning?” he asked, reaching over to check to see if she had a fever. Only to be brushed offed with a flick of her wrist. 

“Rebekah, did you notice a hearing problem while Lorenzo was with you?” Caroline asked, looking at the female original who looked slightly out of place in her designer clothes, standing in a cozy but very non-designer cafe.

“No Caroline he always seems to have perfect hearing,” Bekah replied, walking over placing her purse on the counter. “Can I get a cappuccino? This one wouldn’t let us stop for caffeine or blood.” 

“The blood I can’t help you with, but maybe my brother can. The cappuccino absolutely though,” Caroline said, swatting Enzo at hearing he’d been in such a hurry that he’d refused to allow Rebekah to pack sufficiently. “I trust the idiot in the room explained, that there is no killing or feeding on the towns people here in Rhaeadr correct?” 

“Lorenzo did explain that you’ve claimed this quaint little town as part of your horde, do they know?” Rebekah asked, wrinkling her nose at the prospect of drinking blood bags. While convenient they tasted stale and sludgy. 

“Oh gods no, but then they’re a little thick when it comes to the more magical elements of the village,” Caroline laughed, pulling her hair away from her face before spinning the valve of the steamer wand for the milk. As steam and boiling milk filled the air she switched on the grouper pulling the espresso into the mug. Slowly pouring the frothed milk over the espresso she topped it off with the thick perfectly foamed milk. 

Placing it in front of Rebekah she offered her brother a smile and patted his arm. She raised her wrist, the door locking as she looked around the empty cafe. “Kat is off making a menace of herself. I’m honestly fine Enzo. I’m the biggest dragon left on the planet. It’s time I stop hiding from a thousand year old hybrid and face the aresewit dead on.”

Rebekah cleared her throat looking from her boyfriend-soulmate to his sister and winced. Enzo was still glaring at Caroline, and the other blonde seemed immune. “You aren’t actually going to kill Nik are you?” 

“Hmm oh maybe I haven’t decided, wolves tend to be rather wirey and not meaty enough to be a good snack,” Caroline admitted turning from her dishes to look at Rebekah who was growing both indignant and pale at once. Breathing deeply she offered the much younger immortal a soft smile. “I can’t foresee the future, but no I don’t think our meeting will end in his death. Possible dismemberment depending on his attitude but not his death. I couldn’t destroy all the lives of his descendents just like that.” 

Rebekah let out a breath of relief before flipping her hair over her shoulder and shrugging. “Honestly I think my brother wants to fuck you more than fight with you.”

Caroline blushed bright red and choked on her own drink as Enzo’s girlfriend talked about her sleeping with Klaus like it wasn’t a big deal. Clearing her own throat she raised an eyebrow at Lorenzo in confusion. 

“What you’re all he’s drawn seriously in the last four centuries if his notebooks are any indication,” she admitted, looking between Caroline and Enzo. “What just because Elijah and Kol don’t break into his private rooms doesn’t mean I don’t.”

“Wait your brothers drawing me? Still?!” Caroline squeaked, her face going scarlet as she started honestly choking on her coffee. 

 

“Well I did tell you, that you were the most stunning muse I’ve had.” Klaus’ voice broke through their conversation. Caroline looked up from Rebekah to the man-monster standing in her doorway. Her door was broken. He’d  _ broken _ her lock.

“You can’t be serious” Caroline deadpanned, after she gained control of her shock.

“Come now Caroline,” Klaus said moving through her cafe.  
“You really can’t take a hint can you,” she snapped, crossing her arms and with a wiggle of her pinkie fixed her broken door. 

“Oh don’t be angry, love. We had a little spat. I’m over it already,” Klaus grinned, sitting down in front of her at the counter, a few seats away from Lorenzo and Rebekah. 

“Oh that’s nice, I’m not,” she snarled, her blue eyes glowing as she glared at Klaus like he’d just murdered a group of puppies. 

“How can I acquit myself then?” he asked, his tone low and his hands open on the counter.   
“You can leave me alone, not send your hybrids to stalk me into hiding, not try and buy my affection with pretty trinkets and drawings,” Caroline snapped flinging her hands in air. 

“I haven’t bothered you for two centuries, come on now,” Klaus replied, his dimples showing as he tried not smile. 

“Go home Klaus,” she whispered, her cheeks flaming as she realized that Kol and Katherine were standing outside looking in. “Oh by Danu’s Grace!”

Raising her arms high, her magick swirling around her feet, she snapped. Suddenly Klaus and her found themselves on a beach. Spinning around Caroline growled and her form wavered, scales sprouting across her arms and smoke curling around her mouth. “No not here, I wanted the apartment.” 

Klaus for his control freak tendencies, forced himself to remain calm. Obviously she’d transported them someplace. No wonder she’d been able to avoid his minions, she could fucking teleport. Those poor unfortunate souls  _ had  _ been telling the truth. Oops. 

“Well now that we’re alone, why don’t we talk,” he asked moving closer reaching out to place his hand on her shoulder. 

“Damnit Klaus you shouldn’t be here!” Caroline shouted, her magick billowing out from her, knocking them both back on the beach. Growling she struggled to get up in the sand and sped off running across the island.   
“Don’t you know that predators love the chase,” Klaus chuckled, following at a safe distance incase she decided he was easier to handle dead. This was absolutely not how he’d seen this going. 

 

“They aren’t upstairs,” Kat called down, to the three immortals left behind. Popping back into the cafe she shook her hair out and looked around the room. “So bets dead or fucking?”

Kol and Enzo jumped into that, debating the parameters of the bet had to be. Rebekah looked from the two men back to Katherine eyebrow raised. When Kat nodded over to the stairs that led up to the apartment Rebekah nodded, standing and leaving the boys to their bet rule negotiation. 

“So how long have you know Caroline?” Rebekah asked, once they were sitting in the nice little sitting room in the apartment. Grabbing a blood bag from the fridge which was suddenly populating with more bags than she could finish in a day. 

“We’ve known each other since I was five thousand years old, so a long time,” Kat said finally after scrunching her face up trying to do the math. 

“Wow, and you’ve never fought hard enough that you guys just said fuck it?” Rebekah asked, her interest piqued.   
“The thing you have to remember Rebekah, is that Caroline and I were born knowing we’d live eons if not epochs,” Katherine said, slowly picking dust off her pants as she sat down. “Arguments are different when outside of magickal fire. Death isn’t happening. You learn to let each other cool off. You give each other space. I mean we went centuries between arguments and talking.”

“So the space and time actually helped you guys stay friends?” Rebekah pressed, gulping down her blood bag. 

“Oh absolutely. In fact I think time apart would help the four of you not be so murdery,” Katherine said, pulling her phone out. Checking twitter and relaxing into the couch. 

 

“Niklaus, just go home,” Caroline snarled, when he pressed her against the smooth stone of her cave entrance. 

“I can’t. It seems whatever brought us here is also keeping me here,” he admitted looking down at her. Tracing one of her scales that had appeared across her forearm. “Beautiful.”

Pushing him off she stalked through the cave grabbing the largest bottle of scotch she could muster. Throwing it at his head when he followed her she snarled, “Fuck off Klaus. Seriously.” 

“Well I’ll be right here waiting for you to want to talk.” Klaus dropped himself onto the couch and pulled his phone out of his back pocket only to find he didn’t have service. “Bloody hell.”

Caroline fully transformed into her dragon form taking off through the hole in her ceiling flying high above the clouds. Rolling on the waves of the wind she tried to clear her mind. She hadn’t accidentally teleported herself and others in years, centuries, a millenia at minimum. She was controlled, powerful, brilliant. Caroline daughter of one of the Trimitive Goddesses didn’t fuck up. So why was her magick behaving like this. 

Landing on a pile of gold, she lay down on it, her tail flicking back and forth as she closed her eyes. He was still in the living area, hadn’t moved as far as her senses could tell. Grumbling she rolled over onto her back and stared up at the sky, the magick ley lines that criss crossed in the air flickered in her eyes. Breathing deeply she released a breath. Transforming back into her humanoid form, she grabbed the painting and bracelet box. 

“Here, take them if they’re that important to you,” she said as she dropped them next to the couch. 

“Love, those aren’t what I’ve been so angry about losing,” he said, smirking as she confirmed that she’d kept his painting and the gift he’d gotten for her. 

“Then why the fuck have you been driving me absolutely bonkers since the 1500s?!” she snapped, hands planted on her hips. Standing Klaus picked up the bracelet and looked at her. 

“You stole my heart, Caroline. I thought that my father and my mother had beaten it dead, and you brought it back to life,” he said, gently taking her hand in his and slipping the bracelet on her left wrist. 

“You can’t just say romantic things like this,” Caroline said, her voice quiet. 

“Love, I’ve been chasing after you for the better part of a millenia. I’ve been trying to apologize for imagining that I could possibly give you anything that you don’t already have,” he said tucking one of her strands of hair behind her right ear. 

“I am happy with my life, it’s absolutely what I want. I’m not sacrificing things or parts because of another,” she whispered, her reasonings feeling hollow even to her. 

“So if you don’t love me or at least find me amenable, will you tell me why you kept the bracelet and portrait?” he asked the knuckles of his right hand grazing her jaw line as he looked down into her eyes. 

“I’m a dragon Klaus, I steal things and horde them. You can’t horde what you don’t keep,” she mumbled her cheeks heating up. 

“So you wanted them for your horde?” he asked the dimples making a reappearance as he tried not to smirk. 

“I-I,” she pulled away and ran her hands through her hair. 

“I can’t date Klaus, I don’t date. I love someone and it’s forever, there aren’t any breaks or pauses or breakups,” she said, looking out over the water. “You have goals, enemies to crush, and I just don’t see us working long term. Which would be unbearable, because I don’t know how to love any other way than that.”

Klaus was gobsmacked. That’s the word for it. She was scared that they wouldn’t work and she didn’t know how to hold any of herself back. 

“Caroline, love. Did you know that wolves mate for life?” he asked, walking over and wrapping her into his arms. 

“Klaus, I don’t think this is comparable. Wolves aren’t immortal,” she murmured, not pulling away from him as she was enveloped in his warmth. She had to admit being held like this without a thought or worry was nice. 

“What if I told you werewolves also mate for life?” Klaus replied, looking out over the lagoon and the vast sea beyond it. 

Turning so she was looking at him she placed her hands against his chest and looked up trying to determine what she saw behind his gaze. “Are you telling me that the universe paired the last full dragon with the only Vampire/Werewolf half-breed?”

“I’m saying I haven’t stopped thinking about you in five centuries, and haven’t had sex in nearly as long,” he quipped, chuckling when she went to hit him, which quickly turned to a wince when it actually hurt. “I forget just how strong you are sometimes.”

“Well you shouldn’t,” she pouted, crossing her arms, though she didn’t step out of his gentle barely there embrace. 

“But you hide your monster so well, behind walls of control,” he whispered, leaning down. When there was only a millimeter between their lips he paused. Caroline rolled her eyes and tangled her fingers in his hair pulling him that last hair's breadth. His lips were just as warm and soft as she’d remembered. Running her fingers through his hair she moaned softly as he pricked her lip on his fang. His hands slip down and hoisted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist as he moved them back towards the couch. 

“Klaus, we’re going to take this slow and I’m not giving up my cafe,” she said, pulling away and looking down at him eyebrow raised expecting him to balk at her requirements. 

“I saw a nice spot for an art gallery just across the street from the cafe,” he responded, raising a corresponding eyebrow. Caroline’s eyes flashed bronze as she looked down at one of the most powerful beings on the planet. 

“You planned this didn’t you?” she asked, leaning back to actually look at him.  

“Well, I wasn’t going to just leave if you said no. I planned on wooing you, days sat at your counter, moving in across the street,” he grinned, leaning up and placing kisses from her collarbone up towards her jaw. His hands planted on her lower back. “This though will be much more fun, and just think—new artwork for your horde.” 

“We’ll see how this goes, though anything you paint for this gallery I get first dibs on,” she added hastily, trying not to get distracted as his lips pressed against her in wonderful places. Places she’d forgotten about, since their last night in the rose garden back in 1502. 

“Of course, since I plan on painting you in all sorts of ways,” he answered, nipping at her earlobe. 

“Katherine and Enzo are going to be so pissed about this,” she murmured, thoughts suddenly slightly too hard to keep straight. 

“Caroline, love, if you won’t focus I’m going to have to find other ways to entice you,” he said, flipping them so her back was against the seat of the couch. “You’re hurting my pride here.”

“We wouldn’t want that now, would we?” she teased, pressing her hips up against the obvious bulge in the front of jeans. Looking up at him she bit her lip, and leaned back up to kiss him again. Maybe she had just been scared, but one thing was for certain—Rhaeadr Mystic wasn’t going to be as quiet as it used to be. Oh, and her horde had just grown plus one hybrid king. 

 

**FIN**


End file.
